Holy Crap! Toilet Problem Could Force Space Station Evacuation!

For want of a bolt, the battle was lost. Now, hold your breath...er I mean your nose! The toilet on board the multi billion dollar ISS has gone bust!
Now that stinks! Why the devil can't they invent a fail safe toilet? Imagine the consequences on a manned mission to Mars!! The poor sods would be up
the creek without a darn paddle!

Pic: Fox News

Now a Russian space official says that if the repair, scheduled for Wednesday, doesn't fix the situation, the space station's crew of three may
have to come home early.

When I first heard about the toilet a few weeks ago, I was pretty sure that NASA said that the "solid-waste disposal" aspect of the toilet still
works (information which is backed up by this new article). However, stale urine does't smell very good, either.

I could be wrong, but I suspect that the "repair parts" the shuttle brought up to the station will fix it just fine.

One would think that it would be a good idea to have a second toilet on the station, even if it cost a full extra hundred thousand dollars. Face it
-- everybody poops.

NASA said the main ISS toilet works for solid waste disposal but has an intermittent problem handling liquid waste. It's good for about three
flushes and then requires some time-consuming maintenance and two pairs of hands before it will work again.

"It takes 10 minutes and two crew members," Shireman. "You can see how inconvenient that is."

The toilet on the International Space Station located in the Zvezda module uses a fan-driven suction system similar to the Space Shuttle WCS.
Liquid waste is collected in 20 liter containers. Solid waste is collected in individual micro-perforated bags which are stored in an aluminum
container. Full containers are transferred to Progress for disposal. en.wikipedia.org...

A second permanent toilet will be added when Node 3 goes up:

An additional Waste and Hygiene Compartment is scheduled be part of the Node 3 module to be launched in 2010. In 2007, NASA purchased a
Russian-made toilet similar to the one already aboard ISS rather than develop one internally.

And as posted above, the one on Zvezda is now repaired and fully functional.

Could you imagine trying to use it though ?
Apparently a tight seal between the user and the device is very important.

The Soyuz return capsule also has a toilet, but is only for very limited use.
Before a launch they go through a pre-launch bowel clearing to minimize it's use.

For urination (with the control panel switch set to #1) a replaceable funnel is used. The waste is sucked into a collection tank (there are ten in
the module), and the air circulates through a charcoal filter before being sent back into the cabin. According to this post at CollectSPACE.com,
“women use a sanitary-napkin-type pad which absorbs fluid”, which doesn’t sound too appealing! If the electric air pump fails, a device with a
rubber-bulb hand pump serves as a backup.

For defecation (switch set to #2), a disposable bag is put into a container, which has an air suction tube connected to the container (the airflow
goes through the bag and a charcoal filter). A carton cover needs to be removed from the bag before insertion; it contains some sanitizing chemicals
and toilet paper (the latter is also removed). The user positions the device against their posterior. After finishing, a string around the edge of the
bag snaps a rolled rubber cover into place, hermetically sealing the contents. After securely tying it with rubber ties (similar to the ones used to
tie up the lining of the Sokol spacesuit), the bag insert is removed and put into another rubberized bag. This is placed into yet another bag,
hermetically sealed and placed in a waste container with other rubbish (it will all burn up when the Orbital Module is discarded upon descent). suzymchale.com...

The third toilet at the ISS right now is the one aboard the Shuttle, called the WCS.
They dehydrate solid waste and dump liquid overboard, and it looks somewhat civilized.

As mechanical as it looks it still doesn't have a robotic arm that will wipe your bum.:shk:

(NASA image)

I think the picture mike posted in the OP is just a ground based mock up, not something that has ever flown in space. And no, there was never any real
concern about abandoning ship over no place to poop, they would use a baggy before they decided to return home.

Potty on my friends,
Our bodies have evolved to eliminate waste at 1G, but without gravity you will still need to go powder your nose or drop a bomb while you read the
sports section.
Go forth into the unknown, void your bladder & evacuate that bowel however you can.

Edit: And where the hell is Dr Love when you need him

This is a perfectly good defecating thread and I look forward to his input.

No worries mate, most of my posts are full of crap anyway, you can flag one of my own threads if you think it's worthy.

I might even ground myself a bit and go dump in the woods the next chance I get, and I'll even wipe with leaves. After seeing what the astronauts go
through I might take comfort in the underside of a maple leaf or a smooth stone.

The most basic function of the human body has been turned into a billion dollar dump once you leave the planet. :shk:

I suppose the problem will have inventors scrambling to make the next model! Such a basic need here on earth, but in space being able to go to the
bathroom is all about technology. They have to have it and it has to work or all the other technology in space that includes human astronauts is not
worth a dime. Hey, I wonder what the monkeys did when they went?

What they need is a small artificial gravity module dedicated to exercise and the latrine. Forget all the vacuum seals and pumps. Just flush. I
doubt the ISS will ever have one, but one would hope private enterprise makes this a priority. If the first space hotels do not, that will make for
an interesting moment when they come to that part during the sales presentation.

Where do the astronauts put the sports page/magazine when they're done dropping a deuce?

Honestly, they should have a private room where you just float and crap, catch it in the air with a Glad bag (kind of like that elephant pic, but in
zero-G), seal it up and put it in some kind of storage device.

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